the passing of the frontier-第21节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ot　required；　but　the　holder　is　required　to　make　〃permanent　improvements〃　to　the　value　of　a　dollar　and　twenty…five　cents　an　acre；　and　at　least　one…half　of　these　improvements　must　be　made　within　three　years　after　the　date　of　entry。　In　the　old　times　the　question　of　proof　in　〃proving　up〃　was　very　leniently　considered。　A　man　would　stroll　down　to　the　land　office　and　swear　solemnly　that　he　had　lived　the　legal　length　of　time　on　his　homestead；　whereas　perhaps　he　had　never　seen　it　or　had　no　more　than　ridden　across　it。　Today　matters　perhaps　will　be　administered　somewhat　more　strictly；　for　of　all　those　millions　of　acres　of　open　land　once　in　the　West　there　is　almost　none　left　worth　the　holding　for　farm　purposes。

Such　dishonest　practices　were；　however；　indignantly　denied　by　those　who　fostered　the　irrigation　and　dryfarming　booms　which　made　the　last　phase　of　exploitation　of　the　old　range。　A　vast　amount　of　disaster　was　worked　by　the　failure　of　number　less　irrigation　companies；　each　of　them　offering　lands　to　the　settlers　through　the　medium　of　most　alluring　advertising。　In　almost　every　case　the　engineers　underestimated　the　cost　of　getting　water　on　the　land。　Very　often　the　amount　of　water　available　was　not　sufficient　to　irrigate　the　land　which　had　been　sold　to　settlers。　In　countless　cases　the　district　irrigation　bonds…which　were　offered　broadcast　by　Eastern　banks　to　their　small　investorswere　hardly　worth　the　paper　on　which　they　were　written。　One　after　another　these　wildcat　irrigation　schemes；　purporting　to　assure　sudden　wealth　in　apples；　pears；　celery；　garden　truck；　cherries；　small　fruits；　alfalfa；　pecans；　eucalyptus　or　catalpa　trees…anything　you　likedwent　to　the　wall。　Sometimes　whole　communities　became　straitened　by　the　collapse　of　these　overblown　enterprises。　The　recovery　was　slow；　though　usually　the　result　of　that　recovery　was　a　far　healthier　and　more　stable　condition　of　society。

This　whole　question　of　irrigation　and　dry　farming；　this　or　that　phase　of　the　last　scrambling；　feverish　settling　on　the　last　lands；　was　sorely　wasteful　of　human　enterprise　and　human　happiness。　It　was　much　like　the　spawning　rush　of　the　salmon　from　the　sea。　Many　perish。　A　few　survive。　Certainly　there　never　was　more　cruel　injustice　done　than　that　to　the　sober…minded　Eastern　farmers；　some　of　them　young　men　in　search　of　cheaper　homes；　who　sold　out　all　they　had　in　the　East　and　went　out　to　the　dry　country　to　farm　under　the　ditch；　or　to　take　up　that　still　more　hazardous　occupationsuccessful　sometimes；　though　always　hard　and　always　riskydry　farming　on　the　benches　which　cannot　be　reached　with　irrigating　waters。

Strangely　changed　was　all　the　face　of　the　cattle　range　by　these　successive　and　startling　innovations。　The　smoke　of　many　little　homes　rose　now；　scattered　over　all　that　tremendous　country　from　the　Rockies　to　the　edge　of　the　short　grass　country；　from　Texas　to　the　Canadian　line。　The　cattle　were　not　banished　from　the　range；　for　each　little　farmer　would　probably　have　a　few　cows　of　his　own；　and　in　some　fashion　the　great　cowmen　were　managing　to　get　in　fee　tracts　of　land　sufficient　for　their　purposes。　There　were　land　leases　of　all　sorts　which　enabled　the　thrifty　Westerner　who　knew　the　inside　and　out　of　local　politics　to　pick　up　permanently　considerable　tracts　of　land。　Some　of　these　ranches　held　together　as　late　as　1916；　indeed；　there　are　some　such　oldtime　holdings　still　existent　in　the　West；　although　far　more　rare　than　formerly　was　the　case。

Under　all　these　conditions　the　price　of　land　went　up　steadily。　Land　was　taken　eagerly　which　would　have　been　refused　with　contempt　a　decade　earlier。　The　parings　and　scraps　and　crumbs　of　the　Old　West　now　were　fought　for　avidly。

The　need　of　capital　became　more　and　more　important　in　many　of　the　great　land　operations。　Even　the　government　reclamation　enterprises　could　not　open　lands　to　the　settler　on　anything　like　the　old　homestead　basis。　The　water　right　cost　moneysometimes　twenty…five　or　thirty　dollars　an　acre；　in　some　of　the　private　reclamation　enterprises；　fifty　dollars　an　acre；　or　even　more。　Very　frequently　when　the　Eastern　farmer　came　out　to　settle　on　such　a　tract　and　to　meet　the　hard；　new；　and　expensive　conditions　of　life　in　the　semi…arid　regions　he　found　that　he　could　not　pay　out　on　the　land。　Perhaps　he　brought　two　or　three　thousand　dollars　with　him。　It　usually　was　the　industrial　mistake　of　the　land…boomer　to　take　from　this　intending　settler　practically　all　of　his　capital　at　the　start。　Naturally；　when　the　new　farmers　were　starved　out　and　in　one　way　or　another　had　made　other　plans；　the　country　itself　went　to　pieces。　That　part　of　it　was　wisest　which　did　not　kill　the　goose　of　the　golden　egg。　But　be　these　things　as　they　may　be　and　as　they　were；　the　whole　readjustment　in　agricultural　values　over　the　once　measureless　and　valueless　cow　country　was　a　stupendous　and　staggering　thing。

Now　appeared　yet　another　agency　of　change。　The　high　dry　lands　of　many　of　the　Rocky　Mountain　States　had　long　been　regarded　covetously　by　an　industry　even　more　cordially　disliked　by　the　cattleman　than　the　industry　of　farming。　The　sheepman　began　to　raise　his　head　and　to　plan　certain　things　for　himself　in　turn。　Once　the　herder　of　sheep　was　a　meek　and　lowly　man；　content　to　slink　away　when　ordered。　The　writer　himself　in　the　dry　Southwest　once　knew　a　flock　of　six　thousand　sheep　to　be　rounded　up　and　killed　by　the　cattlemen　of　a　range　into　which　they　had　intruded。　The　herders　went　with　the　sheep。　All　over　the　range　the　feud　between　the　sheepmen　and　the　cowmen　was　bitter　and　implacable。　The　issues　in　those　quarrels　rarely　got　into　the　courts　but　were　fought　out　on　the　ground。　The　old　Wyoming　deadline　of　the　cowmen　against　intruding　bands　of　Green　River　sheep　made　a　considerable　amount　of　history　which　was　never　recorded。

The　sheepmen　at　length　began　to　succeed　in　their　plans。　Themselves　not　paying　many　taxes；　not　supporting　the　civilization　of　the　country；　not　building　the　schools　or　roads　or　bridges；　they　none　the　less　claimed　the　earth　and　the　fullness　thereof。

After　the　establishment　of　the　great　forest　reserves；　the　sheepmen　coveted　the　range　thus　included。　It　has　been　the　governmental　policy　to　sell　range　privileges　in　the　forest　reserves　for　sheep；　on　a　per　capita　basis。　Like　privileges　have　been　extended　to　cattlemen　in　certain　of　the　reserves。　Always　the　contact　and　the　contest　between　the　two　industries　of　sheep　and　cows　have　remained。　Of　course　the　issue　even　in　this　ancient　contest　is　foregoneas　the　cowman　has　had　to　raise　his　cows　under　fence；　so　ultimately　must　the　sheepman　also　buy　his　range　in　fee　and　raise　his　product　under　fence。

The　wandering　bands　of　sheep　belong　nowhere。　They　ruin　a　country。　It　is　a　pathetic　spectacle　to　see　parts　of　the　Old　West　in　which　sheep　steadily　have　been　ranged。　They　utterly　destroy　all　the　game；　they　even　drive　the　fish　out　of　the　streams　and　cut　the　grasses　and　weeds　down　to　the　surface　of　the　earth。　The　denuded　soil　crumbles　under　their　countless　hoofs；　becomes　dust；　and　blows　away。　They　leave　a　waste；　a　desert；　an　abomination。

There　were　yet　other　phases　of　change　which　followed　hard　upon　the　heels　of　our　soldiers　after　they　had　completed　their　task　of　subjugating　the　tribes　of　the　buffalo　Indians。　After　the　homesteads　had　been　proved　up　in　some　of　the　Northwestern　States；　such　as　Montana　and　the　Dakotas；　large　bodies　of　land　were　acquired　by　certain　capitalistic　farmers。　All　this　new　land　had　been　proved　to　be　exceedingly　prolific　of　wheat；　the　great　new…land　crop。　The　farmers　of　the　Northwest　had　not　yet　learned　that　no　country　long　can　thrive　which　depends　upon　a　single　crop。　But　the　once　familiar　figures　of　the　bonanza　farms　of　the　Northwestthe　pictures　of　their　long　lines　of　reapers　or　selfbinders；　twenty；　thirty；　forty；　or　fifty　machines；　one　after　the　other；　advancing　through　the　golden　grainthe　pictures　of　their　innumerable　stacks　of　wheatthe　figures　of　the　vast　mileage　of　their　fencingthe　yet　more　stupendous　figures　of　the　outlay　required　to　operate　these　farms；　and　the　splendid　totals　of　the　receipts　from　such　operationsthese　at　one　time　were　familiar　and　proudly　presented　features　of　boom　advertising　in　the　upper　portions　of　our　black　land　belt；　which　day　just　at　the　eastern　edge　of　the　old　Plains。

There　was　to　be　repeated　in　this　country　something　of　the　history　of　California。　In　the　great　valleys；　such　as　the　San　Joaquin；　the　first　interests　were　pastoral；　and　the　cowmen　found　a　vast　realm　which　seemed　to　be　theirs　forever。　There　came　to　them；　however；　the　bonanza　wheat　farmers；　who　flourished　there　about　1875　and　through　the　next　decade。　Their　highly　specialized　industry　boasted　that　it　could　bake　a　loaf　of　bread　out　of　a　wheat　field　between　the　hours　of　sunrise　and　sunset。　The　outlay　in　stock　and　machinery　on　some　of　these　bonanza　ranches　ran　into　enormous　figures。　But　here；　as　in　all　new　wheat　countries；　the　productive　power　of　the　soil　soon　began　to　decrease。　Little　by　little　the　number　of　bushels　per　acre　lessened；　until　the　bonanza　farmer　found　himself　with　not　half　the　product　to　sell　which　he　had　owned　the　first　few　years　of　his　operations。　In　one　California　town　at　one　time　a　bonanza　farmer　came　in　and　covered　three　city　blocks　with　farm　machinery　which　he　had　turned　over　to　the　bank　owning